Processed Foods: the Real Story

Headlines are declaring that our country is full of people who are overweight yet malnourished. How is this possible? In a nutshell, an increasing majority of the food found in our stores and restaurants is not true, whole food, but rather “food product” created in laboratories and injected with preservatives, fillers, dyes, and other synthetic materials. This is one instance in which technology is not doing us any favors. There are little to no nutrients in these food products!

It’s easy for us to forget the biological reason for eating: to fuel our bodies with nutrients needed to survive and thrive. Your stomach feeling full is only one means of appetite regulation. In addition, if your body has not received sufficient nutrients from what you’re feeding it, your brain will continue to tell you to eat more. We’ve all had the experience of enjoying the greasy, heavy McDonald’s meal — only to be starving an hour later, right? This is why.

Many nutritionists refer to processed foods as empty calories. Your body will never get enough of these, and it will continue craving food until it receives the nutrients it needs. One of the most important things you can do — not only for weight loss, but also for your overall health, longevity, and wellbeing — is to make as much of your diet as possible consist of nutrient-dense foods. What is a nutrient-dense food? The closer it is to its original form, the better. As soon as food has been processed and packaged and preserved in some way, it is moving away from its ideal nutrient density.

Contact

Jessica is an educator, trainer, lawyer, athlete and outdoor enthusiast who is a total nerd about posture and mobility training. Her passion is the development of realistic methods to help people counteract the health detriments of a busy, sedentary lifestyle. When she's not teaching people how to realign their bodies, you can find her hiking up or sliding down mountains with her St. Bernard/Irish Wolfhound, Maximus.